Grit? Moxie? Sure, but Stamps took foot off the gas

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This article was published 26/09/2016 (3297 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As far as silver-lining losses go, Saturday’s narrow defeat to the Calgary Stampeders was an exceptionally entertaining game of football. The local squad showcased its depth of character and resilient backbone by overcoming a tremendous deficit and forcing a last-second field goal intervention. That said, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are still not at the same level as the Calgary Stampeders.

You see, the problem with turning it on in the second half of a football game is convincing yourself that is simply all that didn’t happen in the first couple of stanzas. There is a huge discrepancy in the difficulty between playing with an enormous lead and playing catch-up. When a team is up 27-0, and 27-7 at halftime, the sense of urgency generally vanishes as quick as a G-note at the Apple Store.

There was a loss of focus in this football game, but it came from the Stampeders in the second half. Once, by all accounts, you are convinced the game is over, it’s awfully hard to get everyone back on the same page, and all at the same time, too. It is difficult to play with a 20- or 27-point lead because it’s near impossible to convince yourself during those moments that every play still counts. The urgency is gone, and before you know it, you are behind with only seconds remaining.

It’s a lot easier to keep fighting and focused on the game after you’ve had it handed to you for the first two quarters. The Bombers came out and played a better second half because they are a proud, able group that got spanked in the first half. Calgary was susceptible and vulnerable to a comeback, because they were so dominant in the early going.

This isn’t to dismiss the grit and moxie the Bombers showed when they took the lead late in the game, and no one is saying they haven’t morphed into a dangerous, contending football team. They won the second half, and when they finally got the Stampeders’ attention, the Bombers were still able to take the ball, drive down the field and score.

Bottom line, though, is that from kickoff to halftime — with plenty of motivation and winning streaks on the line — the Stamps handed it to the Blue and Gold.

Sure, everything wasn’t clicking for the Bombers and they may have “played horribly,” but in pro football, “playing horribly” usually happens when the other team makes it so. They for sure get credit for almost winning in the second half, but I’m not ready to say this team could beat the Stampeders, yet. Maybe in the future, but not right now.

Let’s just hope they get another chance to compete with that one-sided degree of excellence the Stampeders displayed in the first half.

Doug Brown, once a hard-hitting defensive lineman and frequently a hard-hitting columnist, appears weekly in the Free Press.

Twitter: @DougBrown97